When Sarah Woodruff was born on 10 September 1730, in Southington, Hartford, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America, her father, John Woodruff, was 22 and her mother, Eunice Wiard, was 19. She married Joseph Gridley on 3 July 1763, in Southington, Hartford, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 2 daughters. She died on 7 January 1805, at the age of 74, and was buried in Southington, Hartford, Connecticut, United States.
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1716–1805 Male
1730–1805 Female
1762–1838 Male
1764–1818 Male
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1768–1799 Male
1770– Female
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1708–1807 Male
1711–1761 Female
1730–1805 Female
1732–1740 Male
1735–1806 Male
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English: from Middle English woderove ‘woodruff, sweet woodruff’ (Old English wudurofe), a sweet-scented plant. The leaves of the plant have a sweet smell and the surname may also have been a nickname for one who used it as a perfume, or perhaps an ironical nickname for a malodorous person. Alternatively, perhaps a topographic name for someone who lived at or near a place where woodruff grew. There may have been some confusion with Woodrow .
History: Two English families brought the name Woodruff to the American colonies: those of Matthew Woodruff and of John and Ann Woodruffe. The latter migrated to Lynn, MA, from Kent, and moved to Southampton, Long Island, NY, before 1640. John and Ann's many descendants were established in NJ, NC, and SC by 1790. The city of Woodruff, SC, is named for this family. The name is variously spelled Woodrove, Woodroffe, Woodruffe, Woodrough, and Woodruff in colonial records.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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